Picking mechanism



July 10, 1945. HAMILTON 2,380,170

PICKING MECHANISM Filed May 27, 1944 v INVENT OR. WALLACE HAM/LTO/V BY m ' ATTORNEY Patented July 10, 1945 PICKING MECHANISM Wallace Hamilton Hopedale, Mass., assignor to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application May 27, 1944, Serial No. 537,755

.6 Claims. (61. 139150) The present invention relates generally to picking mechanisms for fly shuttle looms and, as illustrated herein, relates more particularly to means for supportingand guiding the picker stick of such mechanisms.

Looms of the type to which the present invention is designed to be applied generally include a parallel, a parallel shoe rocking on the parallel, a picker stick fixed to and rocking with the paraallel shoe and means for imparting operative movement to the picker stick. The parallel shoe is designed to remain in contact with the parallel throughout its movement but in high speed looms the picker stick and parallel shoe tend to rise or jump at the end ofeach movement thereof. The rise of the picker stick and parallel shoe at the end of the picking movement is not serious since the shuttle is out of contact with the picker at this time, hence, does not affect the path of travel of the shuttle. On the return stroke, however, jumping of the picker stick may affect the position of. the shuttle in the shuttle box and cause loping of the shuttle as it is again picked across the loom. When the picker stick thus jumps,

it also causes. excessive wear on the picker which, consequently, must be replaced often.

One object of the present invention, accordin 1y is to provide means for preventing jumping of the picker stick particularly at the end of the return movement thereof. To this end and as illustrated, a spring'or resilient stop member is provided which is fixed to the parallel and which engages the parallel shoe when the parallel shoe lifts at the end of its return movement. The spring is sufficiently stiff to resist jumping of the picker stick and shoe but does not interfere in anyway with the normal operation of the picking mechanism.

With the above and other objects and features in View, the invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a parallel and picker stick mechanism in which the present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a view in section, on a somewhat enlarged scale, taken along the line IILI of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View in section taken along the line III-IH of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the spring or stop member.

The parallel mechanism shown in the drawing is applied to any conventional type of fly shuttle loom, the parts of which are not all illustrated since they may be of usual construction and form no part of the present invention.

A parallel I0 is fixed to the end of a rocker shaft (not shown). The lower end ii of a picker stick I 4 projects downwardly through an opening in the parallel Ill.

rocking on a flat surface 20 of the parallel H). A spring return drum 22 is connected to the lower end of the picker stick I l by a flexible strap M. The parts so far described are similar to corresponding parts of prior looms.

The picker stick I4 is pulled toward the right by a lug strap (not shown). This movement is rapid and is arrested by a check strap (not shown) which engages the upper end portion of the picker stick just before the stick completes its picking stroke. The picker stick is then returned toward its initial position by the action of the spring return drum 22. The picker stick is stopped by the action of the check strap and the return movement is not entirely completed checked. The picker stick M and the parallel shoe Hi to which it is secured jumps when the picker stick is stopped by engaging the end of the lay. Since the shuttle is in engagement with the picker, the shuttle is. improperly positioned in the shuttle box and the shuttle will tend, at least, to lope or rise and fall as it moves in the shed on the next stroke of the picking mechamsm. V

The present construction contemplates the use of a tongue 26 which is fixed to the lower end portion of the picker stick [4 by a usual bolt 28 which serves also to secure the heel strap 24 in position. The tongue 26 is provided with a forwardly extending shelf 30 having an inclined surface '32 formed thereon. The inclined surface 32 is so located that it is arranged to enga e a rearwardly extending arm 34 of a torsion spring 36 when the picker stick l4 reaches the extreme limit of its return movement. Thus, if the picker stick l4 and parallel shoe l6 tend to jump, such tendency will be resisted by the spring 36.

The spring 36 is secured in position on a bracket 38 which in turn is adjustably secured in position on the parallel Ill by the usual parallel stud 40. The bracket 38 is provided with an elongated vertical slot 42 through which the parallel stud passes and which permits vertical adjustment ofthe bracket 38 and thus permits proper location of the arm 34 relatively to the The picker stick it is fixed to a parallel shoe it which has a curved surface It inclined surface 32 of the shelf 30. The bracket 38 is also provided with an elongated vertical slot 44 receiving a bolt 46 by which the torsion spring 36 is secured in position. The lower end of the bracket 38 is provided with a rearwardly extending inclined shelf 48 against which the arm 30 of the s ring 36 normally bears. The purpose of the elongated slot 44 is to provide for increasing or decreasing the tension of the torsion spring 36. When the bolt 46 is passed through the eye 52 of the spring 36 and is clamped in position by the nut 54 in the lower portion of the slot 44, the tension of the spring 36 is at its maximum but, when the bolt is at the upper end of the slot, the tension is at its minimum.

The bracket 38 is ordinarily so secured in adjusted position that the arm 34 will not engage the inclined surface 32 on the shelf 30 until abnormal movement occurs. The spring 36 is normally prevented from engaging the inclined surface 32 since the shelf 48 limits the downward movement of the arm 50 on the outer end of which the rearwardly extending arm 34 is formed. As the upper end of the picker stick l4 moves toward the right in Fig. 1, the shelf or abutment 30 onthe tongue 26 moves downwardly and toward the left and away from the arm 34v of the spring 36. During the return movement and after engagement with the shuttle, the inclined surface 32 on the shelf or abutment 3!] is located below and just out of contact with the arm 34 so that the spring 36 does not interfere in any way with the normal movement of the picker stick.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1'. In a loom, the combination of a parallel having an opening therein, a curved shoe rocking on: said parallel, a picker stick fixed in an opening in said shoe and extending through the opening in said parallel, a parallel tongue fixed to the lower end portion of said picker stick, an abutment on the lower end of said tongue, and resilient means interposed between said parallel and said abutment on said tongue to prevent jumping of said curved shoe and picker stick at.

one limit of its rocking movement.

2. In a loom, the combination of a parallel having an opening therein, a curved shoe rocking on said parallel, a picker stick fixed to said shoe and extending through an opening therein and through the opening in said parallel, a parallel tongue fixed to the lower end portion of said picker stick and having an abutment thereon, a depending bracket on said parallel, and a resilient stop fixed to said bracket and arranged to be engaged by said abutment as the curved shoe allel, and a spring adjustably secured to said bracket and having a free end portion normally out of engagement with said abutment but ar ranged to be engaged thereby when the shoe and picker stick reach one limit of their rocking movement to prevent jumping of the shoe and picker stick.

4. In a loom,the combination of a parallel havin an opening therein, a curved shoe rocking on said parallel and having an opening aligned with the opening in the parallel, a picker stick fixed to the shoe and having its lower end portion extending. through said openings, a parallel tongue fixed to the lower end portion of said picker stick and having an abutment thereon, a depending bracketfixed to one side of said parallel opposite to the opening therein, a ledge on said bracket, a torsion spring having one end adjustably secured to said bracket, the other free end portion of said spring normally engaging said ledge to maintain said free end portion normally out of engagement with said abutment on said parallel tongue butv permitting said abutment to engage said free end to prevent jumping of the shoe and the picker stick whenthey reach one limit of their rocking movement.

5. In a loom, the combination of a parallel having an opening therein, a curved shoe rockin on said parallel and having an opening aligned with the opening in the parallel, a picker stick fixed to the shoe and having its lower end portion extending through said openings, a parallel tongue fixed to the lower end portion of said picker stick and having an abutment thereon, a depending bracket fixed to one side of said parallel, a ledge on said bracket, and a torsion spring having substantially parallel legs, one of said legs being adjustably secured to said bracket and the other leg having a laterally bentportion engaging said ledge to maintain said bent portion normally out of engagement with said abutment but permitting said abutment to engage-said bentportion to prevent jumping of the shoe and the picker stick as it reaches one limit of its rocking movement.

6. In a loom, the'combina-tion of a parallel having an opening therein, a curved shoe rocking on said parallel and having an opening aligned with the opening in the parallel, a picker stick fixed to the shoe and having its lower end portion extending through said openings, a parallel tongue fixed to the lower end portion of said picker stick and having an abutment thereon, a depending bracket fixed to one side of said parallel, a ledge on said bracket, said bracket having a substantially vertical slot therein, a torsion spring having a loop end portion and a laterally bent end portion, and means for adjustably securing the looped end of said spring to the slotted position of said bracket to vary the tension of said spring, the laterally bent end of said bracket being normally seated on said ledge and normally maintained out of engagement with said abutment but being constructed and arranged to engage said abutment to prevent jumping of the shoe and the picker stick when the shoe and picker stick reach one limit of their rocking movement.

. WALLACE HAMILTON. 

